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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24545947">Unspoken</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/citizen101erased/pseuds/citizen101erased'>citizen101erased</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>of roots and flowers - a diptych [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>My Engineer (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Introspection, M/M, Plants</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:47:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,531</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24545947</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/citizen101erased/pseuds/citizen101erased</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ram has some thoughts on King and his plants.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>King/Ram (My Engineer)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>of roots and flowers - a diptych [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>133</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unspoken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a companion fic to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24462559">Unrooted</a>. </p><p>This fic is unbetad. And also very sappy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ram wakes up to King pressing soft kisses to his tattoos. King is warm and solid and reassuring in his arms, there’s rain softly pattering on the window, and Ram doesn’t think he’s ever felt this content in his life. Like maybe this moment right here, right now, is what he’s been looking for all this time. </p><p>“What are you doing?” He asks, hoping it doesn’t come across as accusatory. He’s not too worried about it - King understands him in a way very, very few people do. But that doesn’t mean he’s not worried at all. Enough people misunderstand Ram for him to always have some worry lingering in the back of his mind. </p><p>He looks down blearily to find King’s bright eyes looking up at him. “Thinking about your tattoos,” King replies as if that explains everything before he continues his journey up Ram’s body. </p><p>“Hmm,” Ram replies, already falling back asleep, soothed by the soft kisses and the sound of the rain. </p><p>Later, after they’ve managed to get showered and dressed and the dogs are fed and the little venus flytrap is watered, the soft rain has turned into a full blown storm and they decide to make it a cozy day indoors. </p><p>Ram sits down at the table with his engineering homework, and immediately decides to ignore it in favour of watching King get ready for a day of plant care. </p><p>King is usually excited about this. His idea of a perfect day includes spending an entire day getting his hands - and the condo’s floor - covered in dirt and mud as he putters around, watering and repotting and fussing over plants that aren’t doing quite as well or that need a little extra nudge. It also usually includes a lot of talking and cooing to plants. </p><p>But today he’s distracted. He keeps biting his lips and running his hand through his hair. He’s also unusually quiet. This normally means one thing: he’s worried about something, and probably overthinking it. </p><p>The thing is: King is very good at pretending to be fine. He’s very good at talking without saying anything. He’s also so good at pretending to be cool and smart, he doesn’t need anyone else, he can manage by himself <i>just fine, thank you very much</i>, that it’s easy to forget that he’s actually very scared very often. </p><p>He’s scared of dogs, or really of anything that looks like it can bite. He’s scared of getting caught in a thunderstorm. He’s, surprisingly enough, scared of failing in school. </p><p>He’s scared of Ram not loving him back. To Ram, this is incredibly silly. As if there would ever be a day where Ram doesn’t spend every waking moment loving King. It - like so many things in Ram’s life - goes without saying. But where he usually really would say nothing, he happily makes an exception for this one.  If it takes telling King <i>I love you</i> every hour of every day for the rest of their lives, then he will do that. </p><p>And despite all appearances to the contrary, King is scared of his sisters. Or at least one specific sister. Ram knows this, because Ram knows King. When he’s around Ram, King is confident and excited, yes, but also calm and serious a surprising amount of times. When he’s by himself, he can spend hours just calmly taking care of his plants with almost unnerving precision and attention. </p><p>When one of his sisters is around, King becomes a comedian. He becomes the fun young brother who doesn’t take anything seriously. He hides all his real thoughts and feelings behind a wall of jokes, even though they rarely turn out as funny as he wants. Ram can see why he does it. He hasn’t met Kaning yet, but he’s met Kamfah just often enough to have opinions about her (and none of them particularly flattering). </p><p>Ram is about halfway done with studying when he notices King is now also clenching his jaw, and he decides he’s had enough. So he closes his engineering books and calmly puts them aside, then goes to the kitchen to make coffee for both of them. </p><p>King is drawn to the smell of coffee like a moth to a flame, and it doesn’t take long before he’s next to Ram in the kitchen, washing the dirt off his hands. Ram rummages through the cupboard to find the pack of biscuits he’s hidden in the back, hopefully away from King’s sight and perpetual hunger. The pack is in its normal place, yet mysteriously half empty. So much for that hiding spot. </p><p>“Does your brother know?” King asks suddenly, interrupting Ram’s lamenting. </p><p>“Know?” He puts a handful of biscuits on a plate for King to dunk in his coffee. </p><p>“About us. Being together. You know,” King runs a wet hand through his hair, pushing it back just to have it all fall back down to where it was immediately. </p><p>There it is: the worry, and the overthinking. Ram is glad that King trusts him enough to talk about this. Despite all his friends, King almost never truly opens up to anyone. </p><p>“Then, yes,” Ram says as he takes the two mugs of coffee and brings them to the table, hearing King behind him pour the rest of the pack of biscuits onto the plate. He makes a mental note to not only find a new hiding place, but also to go buy a new stash when the rain has stopped. This boy and his bottomless pit of a stomach, honestly. </p><p>“When did you tell him?” King asks around a mouthful of biscuits as he walks to the table as well. </p><p>“I didn’t. He knows me.” </p><p>“And that’s all? He just figured it out and now you’re both okay?” King tries his best to sound light and curious, but Ram can hear the worry underlying it all. </p><p>“Yes.” Ram shrugs. There really isn’t much more to it than that. Ruj knows him well. Plus he’s a quick thinker and very good at reading people - especially Ram. He probably knew Ram and King would end up together from the moment Ram started smiling at his phone, even if he didn’t know who King was yet. </p><p>King looks down into his mug of coffee, biting his lip again. </p><p>“You’re worried about your sister,” Ram states. After all, it’s not a question when you already know it’s true. King just clenches his jaw in response, not saying anything and not looking at Ram. </p><p>It hurts to watch King like this. Ram understands it though - Kamfah is so intense about BL, he can’t even begin to imagine what she’ll be like when it turns out her own little brother is in a gay relationship. Sometimes people mellow a bit when it’s about real life people, especially ones they know well, but in Kamfah’s case he seriously doubts that. He was there when she encouraged Duen to kiss Bohn at the post-exam party. He’s seen firsthand what she’s like. </p><p>Then King’s face closes for a moment as his walls fly back up at the speed of light, and he starts smiling excitedly again. Ram feels a pang in his chest at the sight. It reminds him of that plant that closes up when you touch it. King showed it to him a while ago in the flower shop behind the school building, the one Duen often talks about. The slightest threat makes it curl up in itself in the hopes of protecting itself. Ram is not surprised King developed a similar habit. </p><p>“These biscuits are great, thanks for buying them,” King says cheerily, blatantly changing the subject and shoving another handful in his mouth.  </p><p>Ram sighs, and reaches his hand out to hold King’s. It’s a little bit sticky from the biscuit’s sugary coating. Ram doesn’t mind. </p><p>“I understand why you’re scared. It’s okay.” </p><p>King blinks once. Twice. Then the walls go back down, just a little bit, just enough for Ram to see over them. He intertwines his fingers with Ram’s, and smiles at him - a genuine smile this time. </p><p>“Thank you.” It’s all King says, and it’s enough for both of them. </p><p>In many ways, Ram thinks as King goes back to his plants, humming cheerfully now, King is like a plant that’s been kept small himself. He’s so good at letting plants - and other people - take root, to get them to flower, to <i>thrive</i>, yet he rarely gives himself the same chances. It’s as if he’s so busy creating the right environment for his plants, he forgets to do the same for himself. </p><p>King is in many ways rooted, well settled, confident in who he is and what he wants, but not given many chances to fully bloom and truly be himself. There’s always something holding him back, something that makes him not want to face his own feelings. The flower buds are there though, quietly but stubbornly trying to grow through the cracks despite all the odds like dandelions in a concrete city. Despite all the fears, despite how hard King works at keeping himself back, they’re there. </p><p>And Ram will do everything he can to help them bloom.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you liked it, feel free to let me know here or on <a href="https://throwing-roses-into-the-abyss.tumblr.com/post/620038637052149760/of-roots-and-flowers-a-diptych">Tumblr!</a> </p><p>The plant that curls up when you touch it is the mimosa plant, and it's one of the few plants that we know of with rapid movement like that (the venus flytrap is another).</p></blockquote></div></div>
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